Unilever reduced its range by more than 1,200 stock keeping units (SKUs) last year as part of a bid to cut its long tail, prioritise top sellers and reduce waste, supply chain bosses have revealed.
Demand planning accuracy at Lactalis-Nestlé Chilled Dairy UK has surged 10% to 85% over the past two years leading to a significant improvement in availability and a huge drop in waste in a category in which 70% of volumes are now sold on promotion.
Morrisons has reduced its cost per case by 13% since 2006 and slashed its pick error rate by 66% over the past year as part of a project to propel its ageing supply chain into the 21st century.
Unilever has announced bold plans to halve the environmental footprint of its products and source 100% of its agricultural raw materials sustainably over the next decade.
If doing your bit for the planet used to be a good way of earning a few brownie points, it is now increasingly becoming a condition of doing business with the nation’s biggest food retailers.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has launched a logo that can be displayed on product packaging to inform consumers that the palm oil within has been sourced following RSPO rules.
Small to medium-sized food manufacturers will be able to participate in global moves to standardise and access food product data online more easily, thanks to global supply chain solutions firm GS1 UK.
Food manufacturers must invest in supply chain collaboration as well as brand development to offset price volatility and secure viable long term raw material supplies in the next decade.
Calls from some EU Member States to tighten controls to reduce the effects of commodity speculation will not prevent price fluctuations in essential ingredients, experts have claimed.
Qadex is launching a product specification system that will enable manufacturers to provide a full description and history of food and drink ingredients and packaging in retailer-friendly formats.
More than 30 suppliers are now exchanging master product data with Makro via the global data synchronisation network (GSDN), with 50% of its supply base scheduled to come on board over the next 2-3 years.
PepsiCo has unveiled a bold plan to slash the carbon and water impact of its core crops in the UK (potatoes, oats, apples) by 50% over the next five years.
Stable isotope analysis (SIA) is now becoming so sophisticated that it can help prove not only whether a sample of beef is British or Brazilian, but whether it is Scottish, Welsh or English.
Canada became the first country in the world yesterday to declare bisphenol A (BPA) to be a toxic substance that poses risks to human health and the environment.
While electric vans and wind turbines are often seen as ‘totems’ of a retailer’s commitment to the environment, the greenest thing to do is not always what consumers - and the media - think it is, according to the man in charge of Sainsbury’s supply chain.
Morrisons has invested £1.5m in introducing wireless infrastructure to support real time working in five factories in Yorkshire, Northampton and Cheshire.
Farmers and food processors are waiting to hear what position the coalition will adopt on genetically modified (GM) foods, following its announcement that the public dialogue project on the subject was to be cancelled.
The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC’s) revised Global Standard for Storage and Distribution is simpler, clearer and adds features covering cleaning, waste and contracted services, said BRC compliance manager Karen Betts.
TDG plans to plough millions of pounds more into improving the efficiency of its UK cold stores, following the announcement of £1M investments in facilities at Aberdeen and Newport, in Gwent.
Diesel prices will rise 1ppl today in the second of three planned fuel duty rises during 2010/11, while the National Minimum wage also increases from £5.80 to £5.93/hour.
Food chain collaboration champion English Farming and Food Partnerships (EFFP) has embarked on a restructuring exercise to move it onto a clear commercial footing as government funding dries up.
Strong turnover last year means that buying group for independent retailers Nisa-Today’s is expanding into a 195,000 sq ft distribution centre in Livingston, Scotland.
New guidelines will ensure that UK dairy processing companies benefit from a common approach to calculating carbon footprints across the whole supply chain.
An innovative British-made paving system manufactured from recycled plastics has had its first major installation at the bakery of Frank Roberts & Sons in Cheshire.
By rod Addy The vast majority of manufacturers reported having boosted supply chain efficiency in the past year – some by as much as 25% – in a new industry survey conducted by Culina Logistics.
Hauliers are being “held to ransom” by the operator of the Severn Crossing, an essential trade corridor between England and South Wales, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has claimed.
Scientists at Campden BRI have set up a consortium to examine the microbiological issues associated with nuts, seeds, herbs and spices in the food supply chain.
Culina Logistics is looking to work more closely with retailers on primary distribution contracts (collecting goods from manufacturers or shared user depots on behalf of retailers for delivery into their regional distribution centres).
Food manufacturers working with Amazon on its new UK grocery business remain frustrated and disappointed by its progress six weeks after launch, although most still say they would not bet against the online retailer in the long-term.
The new watchdog tasked with policing supermarkets’ dealings with suppliers will still have teeth, despite its “astonishingly low” budget, government officials have insisted.
Britain’s meat processors are missing out on lucrative overseas demand for offal, it has emerged. This is particularly the case with tripe (large stomach lining) – and other so-called ‘fifth quarter’ by-products of carcass ‘deconstruction’.
Storage and distribution firm Grocontinental has clinched an agreement granting dairy business First Milk the use of its recently completed £3m, 7,432m2 multi-temperature warehouse to store its cheese.
Significant “teething problems” notwithstanding, Amazon.co.uk’s online grocery store has a good chance of success in the long-term, according to food manufacturers taking part in the launch.
